The annual meeting and roll call of wake county Veterans.
New members Enrolled.

[Major Daves was a thorough patriot and a broadly accomplished and most lovable man. He was our valued friend and correspondent for years.
His death was a distinct loss to historical inquiry, and was widely lamented.—Ed.]

Despite the inclement weather, Memorial day was generally observed.
Many who wore the gray came together in a sort of reunion, women decked the graves of the Confederate dead with flowers and orators recounted great deeds of daring or told again the principal events of the War Between the States.

In Raleigh the day was almost a holiday, many of the stores were closed during the afternoon, and even those that remained open did but little business.
The banks and most of the State offices were closed.

As usual, the oration was delivered at Metropolitan Hall.
Major Graham Daves was the orator.
His subject was, ‘The Causes that led up to the War Between the States, and the Events of the First Year of the War.’

Major Daves is, of all men in North Carolina, the one best fitted to speak on this subject.
He was the private secretary of Governor Ellis—North Carolina's first war governor—and had access to all the State's official records and correspondence.
Later he was the adjutant of the 22d North Carolina Regiment under General Pettigrew.
In addition to this, he is a man of letters and great historical learning.

His speech of yesterday was in every way worthy of the man and his opportunities, and will constitute a page of correct history.

After an opening hymn by a select choir and an invocation by Rev. George F. Smith, Major Daves was gracefully introduced to his audience by Captain Samuel A. Ashe, chief marshal for the day.
[276]
Major Daves read his speech from manuscript, but did it so well and spoke so distinctly that he held the closest attention of his audience throughout.
The subject was one of interest to old and young alike and was treated in a most scholarly and at the same time interesting manner.
The hearer always felt as if he were listening to a man speaking of his actual experience, or of things of which he had accurate personal knowledge.

On the rostrum with the speaker were the Governor and all the State officers, some of the Supreme Court judges and a number of prominent Confederate veterans.
Clustered about the stage were Confederate flags, bullet-torn battle-flags, red and white bunting, cut flowers and potted plants.
Pictures of Lee and Jackson hung on either side.

Though the hall was pretty well filled with people, the crowd was much smaller than it would have been but for the steady drizzle of rain, which every one who came had to brave.
On account of the rain the programme in regard to a procession to the cemetery was not carried out, though many went out in carriages and decorated the graves with flowers.

All visiting veterans were served with lunch during the day by the Ladies' Memorial Association.
The dinner was spread in Rescue Hall.

At noon an annual mass meeting of all the veterans was held and the roll of veterans in the county called.
There were about seventy-five veterans present.
Commander A. B. Stronach, of the L. O'B. Branch Camp, called the meeting to order and presided, while Adjutant J. C. Birdsong called the roll.
Commander Stronach stated that this was not a meeting of the L. O'B. Branch Camp, but a mass meeting of all the Confederate soldiers of the county.
About 260 names were called, and at the conclusion seventeen men came forward and had their names recorded, giving the company and regiment in which they served, as follows:

An XML version of this text is available for download,
with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted
changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.